White Night Melbourne

White Night (Nuit Blanche) was originally staged in Paris in 2002 as an all-night festival celebrating the French capital’s contemporary art scene. In 2013, Melbourne became the first Australian city to hold a White Night festival, embracing this unique opportunity – created by the State Government – to showcase local, national and international artistic innovation. It was an instant success, with 300 000 people enjoying the all-night event.

Annually since then, an average of 500 000 people have ventured into the CBD for one night only to witness the city re-imagined in what has become a key cultural event on the Australian calendar. In 2018, a record 628 000 people attended the event.

Re-ignited in 2017 under the artistic direction of David Atkins OAM, White Night Melbourne welcomes audiences from across the city, state, nation and globe to see art take over the city’s buildings, streets, parks and laneways, every one a stage, every one a canvas, every one alight, alive and shining more brightly under the cover of darkness.

In recognition of the event’s significance and success, White Night Melbourne 2018 won Best Entertainment Achievement and was the state winner of the Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event at the Australian Event Awards.